Not Quite Normal
by Zum1UDontNo
Summary: Pikachu had never really thought about how he felt for Buneary. He never had a reason to, he didn't think it was relevant to anything. At the suggestion of a new friend, he decides to at least give it a try, and asks Buneary on a test date. It's just a shame that everything that can go wrong, does. Well, at least they're enjoying themselves.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, it's about time I did something. This idea has been stewing in my mind for literal** _ **years,**_ **and has been written, scrapped and rewritten at least three times. It's** _ **fun**_ **being a perfectionist with 24/7 writer's block.**

 **But this time, I don't care if it's not perfect or if it's flawed or anything like that. I'm just going to go with my gut, put the fingers to the keyboard and pour out all the ideas I've been saving up for longer than I'm happy about. As soon as a chapter's written and edited, it's going up- no matter how I feel about it.**

 **I would say this is my first story, but that would be a blatant lie. This is just the first one I'm forcing myself to put online. Well, enough stalling. Let's go.**

 **Obligatory disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. If I did, this would be an actual epi** **sode, and Ash would've gone back for Pidgeot and gone to get Charizard for the battle with Tobias and a lot of other things I would probably change. Also, the cover art is made by Sushiba on Tumblr, used with permission.**

* * *

" _You know, as a type it's everywhere, but as a concept, I'm not so sure_ normal _exists. Everyone has their own quirks that make them different from one another, things that make them better at one thing and worse at another._ "

* * *

" _Like a gust of wind!_ "

Pikachu raced out of the bush he had been in, a white glowing trail accenting his path. Sure, he was naturally fast, and could probably outrun anyone here anyway, but using Quick Attack just made him feel more secure. It was a promise to himself, that nobody would be able to catch him. And it wasn't one he intended on breaking.

He heard the footsteps behind him- sounding more like earthquakes- and smirked a little to himself. So _he_ was the one challenging him now? Pikachu was fine with that. Lunging forward, he pushed himself off the ground and twisted in midair. It was Mamoswine, as he had figured.

" _Pikachu!_ " the mammoth shouted. " _Your tyrannical reign ends here!_ "

" _Tyrannical reign?_ " he called back, chuckling. " _It can hardly be called that!_ " Landing, he fired off a Thunderbolt at Mamoswine before running off again. It didn't do much of anything, but at the very least it made him feel a little better.

Mamoswine fired an Ice Shard from his snout, shaking off the slightly tingling sensation as the electricity rolled off him, and roared triumphantly. " _Ever since this cycle started, you've been ruling over us with a steel tail! Never once have you granted unto us a chance at freedom from you! I shall not allow you to continue down this path of hope and despair!_ " He shot off an Ancientpower to replace the Ice Shard that had shattered against the ground, and grimaced when it sailed over his target's head. " _As the Dragon of the Rising Sun's Command, I swear your evil actions will be put to a stop, so that this world may finally rest!_ "

" _Really?_ " was Pikachu's response. " _You're getting way too into this._ " He turned back to look at the over-enthusiastic Pokémon, and shook his head. " _You're not even a Dragon-type! You're an Ice-type, that's about as far removed from Dragon as you can get!_ "

" _Irrelevant!_ " The ground's trembles increased as Mamoswine began charging forward in a vicious Take Down. " _You'll pay for your crimes, Pikachu! I, like my father before me, and his father before him, dating back generations upon generations, will see to it that the dark days_ you _brought upon us will finally end!_ "

Still looking back at Mamoswine, Pikachu sighed to himself. " _That makes no sense,_ " he muttered. " _Wouldn't that mean all your fathers and grandfathers fought_ me _specifically?_ " Pushing a little more power into his Quick Attack, he turned forward to see where he was going.

And immediately crashed into a tree.

Stars suddenly exploded into his eyes, uninvited. In truth, it wasn't much worse than most of the attacks he was used to, but he really didn't see that one coming.

Pikachu pushed himself up on wobbly legs, shaking his head slightly. He hadn't expected there to be a tree there. _I probably deserve that for not watching where I was going,_ he thought to himself, before looking around. Wasn't there something he was forgetting…? The thumping had stopped, both in his head and in real life, so…

Ah, yes. Mamoswine must have stopped.

…

 _MAMOSWINE MUST HAVE STOPPED._

He quickly looked back, and his ears flattened. Mamoswine was right there, standing over him. In the back of his mind, Pikachu noted that Mamoswine was directly between himself and the sun, so a large shadow was being cast over him. But the main thing on Pikachu's mind was how imposing Mamoswine looked, standing over him with a satisfied look in his eyes.

Pikachu crouched down, his tail and ears parallel to the ground, and turned his head away. The giant lifted his leg, and Pikachu tightly squeezed his eyes shut in a grimace. Mamoswine brought it down…

And gently tapped Pikachu's head.

" _Tag,_ " Mamoswine rumbled cheerfully. " _You're it._ "

" _Ahh, dangit,_ " Pikachu grumbled good-naturedly, breathing out. He stood up and stretched, his ears flicking back to their normal positions. " _First time today, too. There goes my streak. I blame the tree. Whose idea was it to place a tree there?_ "

Mamoswine chuckled softly. " _I know it doesn't really count as knocking you down, but it might as well. You seemed scared for a moment- like, actually scared._ "

Pikachu shrugged. " _Reflexes and instincts_ ," he said. " _The one Pokémon who has a type advantage against me, standing over me like a titan. I panicked._ "

" _I guess I can understand that. A_ titan _, though... you flatter me._ " With that, Mamoswine lumbered off. Nobody would come after him for a while, he figured, so he was free to go off on his own.

Pikachu looked around, at all the Pokémon watching him. He basically had his pick of whoever he wanted to tag next, at this point. But just anyone wouldn't do, he wanted a challenge.

Happiny… No. She was strong, sure, but not that agile. He would beat her in a heartbeat. And probably feel pretty guilty about it too.

Buneary… That might work. She was fast, and pretty strong. It would be- Piplup just tagged her. Well, she was one of the four Its now. She's chasing Grotle, though, so she'll probably be available pretty soon. His Rock Climb wouldn't last long enough- yeah, she just caught Grotle. He should probably go over to her and- wait, Ambipom just snuck up on her. She's probably going to be busy for a while.

Croagunk… Why had he even considered Croagunk? There was no way he'd be able to find him anyway…

" _Ah, Pikachu!_ " a boisterous voice called from above him. " _I had witnessed your scuffle with our substantially sized friend! It would appear you are one of the current targets of interest! Who, pray tell, might you be willing to target now that it is your time to shine, as it were?_ "

Pikachu smiled to himself. Of course, it was obvious! Staraptor was the perfect choice. The gentlemonly bird was fast and- even better- airborne, so it would be quite the challenge. Plus, he had just recently evolved, so it would be a great chance for him to see what Staraptor could do as well.

" _Pikachu, my galvanic friend?_ " Staraptor asked, now mildly worried. " _Is there any particular reason your gaze is directed upon me? My feathers are not ruffled, are they?_ "

A quick spark of electricity between cheeks and a growing smile was Pikachu's only response.

"… _Oh, good origins above!_ " Staraptor cried. " _Now I see what your plan is! Well, I shall not fall without a fight!_ " The bird took to the skies, and swooped down at Pikachu. " _I do enjoy a good windicuffs, friend! Have at you! Brave Bird!_ "

" _The storm rages on!_ " Pikachu yelled in return, charging forward in a Volt Tackle. Mouse and eagle clashed together, and there was a very loud explosion.

* * *

Pikachu nibbled on the Chesto Berry in his paws, a small sigh escaping his mouth. He never would get tired of them, he figured. They were kind of simple, kind of subtle, but he liked them that way. Not everything had to be a burst of flavor.

He looked over at the rest of his friends. Pachirisu was running in circles around a large berry almost as big as she was for no discernible reason. Sudowoodo was standing and talking to a very happy Happiny perched on his head, with both occasionally taking a bite of a berry they were holding. Gliscor wasn't eating at all, and was instead trying to balance on his tail for as long as he could.

Everyone was there, except for their trainers. They had all gone off to a bazaar they had seen on their way to Snowpoint City. Pikachu had wanted to come with them, but Ash convinced him to stay when Ash told him he was getting a gift, and he wanted it to be a surprise. Dawn had done the same for Piplup, saying it was a new Pokéball seal for their next contest, whenever it came up. In case of a Team Rocket attack, the plan was basically "attack them until they fly away." Quoted from Ash himself.

Looking around, he frowned slightly. Buizel, Buneary, Chimchar and Mamoswine were nowhere to be found. With Buizel, it wasn't that bad. He tended to stick to himself a lot, so him being hard to find was normal. He was actually gone for most of the day anyway. Mamoswine not being around was to be expected too; he was prone to talking Dawn's Pokédex and going off on his own, and Dawn had left her Pokédex behind, so it was safe to assume that's what happened.

He wasn't worried about Buneary being gone either. It normally meant the affectionate bunny was sneaking around somewhere behind his back, getting ready to glomp him. Trying to look for her would just make her hide until his back was turned again, so it was better to let her come to him and hug him.

For the sake of finding her, you see.

As for Chimchar, she was a little more difficult. As a Pokémon rescued- and really, that was the only word Pikachu found fitting- from Paul, she was rather timid and convinced she wasn't good enough for Ash. Too often she was found away from the group, training when she should be eating or resting. It was both admirable and rather upsetting.

Pikachu sighed. Sometimes it felt like she was getting better and moving past it, and sometimes it felt like no progress was being made at all. Just last week Ash had woken up to find her training in the middle of the night, denying herself sleep and rest. Pikachu had decided not to comment when Ash returned to his sleeping bag, a half-asleep Chimchar clinging to his shoulder.

His train of thought was suddenly cut off by a pair of warm, fluffy arms wrapping around his body and a head leaning against his shoulder. " _Hi, Buneary,_ " he said without missing a beat. " _Want a Chesto Berry?_ "

The figure up against him shifted a bit. " _No, I'm fine. Nice of you to ask, though._ " Buneary let go and sat down beside him, pouting slightly. " _You never get surprised when I do that anymore._ "

" _It's because you do it too much for it to be a surprise anymore. If you did it to somebody else, maybe you'd get the reaction you want. Why is it always me you choose?_ "

" _Ehh…_ " Buneary decided not to answer, and instead picked up one of the berries next to her. It was a pink berry with two bulges, that was about as long as she would be laid on the ground. She took it and turned to Pikachu. " _It kinda looks like a Weezing!_ " she giggled.

Pikachu sighed. " _And now I can never eat Payapa Berries ever again, thanks for that._ " Buneary's giggling increased in volume, and Pikachu smiled slightly, amused at her antics.

" _It's hot out_ ," Buneary commented, breathing a light Ice Beam onto her paws. " _Which is really weird, aren't we supposed to be close to Snowpoint City?_ "

Pikachu looked at the ice she produced enviously for a moment, and then replied. " _Yep, we are. Taiyohara must be hunting today._ "

" _Who?_ "

" _Oh, right,_ " Pikachu facepawed. " _You probably don't know. Taiyohara is an Arcanine from this legend my pop used to tell me. According to the legend, he and Furaitsuki- she's a Golbat- fly back and forth across the sky, following the sun and the moon. When someone says 'Taiyohara is hunting,' it means the sun is stronger than usual. Pop actually told me a lot of stories like that, about things that had no legendaries. He really liked the ones about the moon._ "

" _What about Cresselia? Or Lunala?_ "

" _First, I grew up in Kanto, so pop probably didn't know who Cresselia is. And second, who?_ "

" _Lunala_ ," Buneary repeated, idly rubbing her face with icy paws. " _It's apparently the legendary of the moon from a far away region. I don't know if it actually exists, though._ "

" _You said the same thing about Giratina,_ " Pikachu reminded her, " _and they were real._ _You have no proof that this Lunala doesn't exist._ "

" _Fair enough. But you have no proof that it does._ "

" _Well, if they're real, I'll probably meet up with them at some point in some later region knowing Ash's track record with legendaries._ "

" _Mmm._ "

The two sat there for a moment, just looking up at the sky. It was a clear blue, with a few wispy clouds managing to survive in the sun's glare. The silence was occasionally punctuated by an audible _snap_ as Pikachu bit into his berry.

" _You did pretty great, you know,_ " Buneary said after a few minutes. Pikachu's ear twitched, and she elaborated. " _Against Staraptor. You probably could've shocked him out of the sky like_ snap _-_ " Buneary clapped her ears for emphasis- " _but you kept yourself to Iron Tail and Quick Attack for most of it. I think that super-awesome Volt Tackle and Brave Bird clash was the only Electric attack you used._ "

" _It wasn't that..._ " Pikachu began, then shook his head. " _Okay, yeah, it was pretty awesome. Did you see that part where I jumped off the tree?_ "

" _And Staraptor almost crashed into it, but swerved up-_ "

" _Right into my Iron Tail, and ended up hitting the tree anyway!_ "

" _See, you're acknowledging it now!_ " Buneary puffed her chest out with satisfaction. " _You're admitting that what you do is awesome!_ "

Pikachu shook his head, smiling. " _It wasn't all great,_ " he reminded her. " _I missed my jump and hit the ground a few times, and he caught me with a nasty Close Combat. Plus it took me forever to actually tag him._ "

" _But you fell with style,_ " Buneary argued, " _with sheer grace and agility! And sure, you got hit a few times- but you got right back up! It was almost as cool as when you_ -"

"W _hen I caught that potato?_ "

Buneary opened her mouth, held it open for a moment, then closed it and huffed.

" _Doesn't sound as cool when you put it that way..._ " she muttered with faux annoyance.

Pikachu gave her a look.

" _It was cooler when I saw it!_ " she defended. _"_ _It wasn't just catching a potato, it was this series of flips and spins and twirls and you_ still _managed to land on your feet!_ "

 _"It was catching a potato,_ " Pikachu deadpanned. " _We've been over this already._ "

" _And then you just offered it back to Brock like it was nothing, like you hadn't just defied gravity itself for like ten seconds!_ "

" _I caught a potato, Buneary._ "

" _You didn't even ask for extra portions or anything after it, because you're-_ "

" _A potato._ "

There was a pause.

" _You're a potato,_ " Buneary said. " _That might be the worst timing you've ever had, and the best I've ever heard._ "

" _I didn't intend for it to be added to your sentence,_ " Pikachu replied. " _Just like I didn't intent for catching a potato to be cool. If I meant for it to be cool. I'd have unleashed one of my battle cries before I caught it._ "

" _Ehhh... Honestly, that would've lessened it,_ " Buneary told him.

Pikachu gave her another look. " _Are you calling my battle cries lame_ _?_ "

" _Yes_ ," Buneary said bluntly.

" _Well,_ " he told her, " _I'm sorry you had to be_ told _this, because it says nothing good about your taste, but my battle cries are magnificent. They're_ magnifique. _Certainly better than just shouting what it is you're doing._ "

" _Yeah, but-_ "

Pikachu stood up and turned to her. " _Stand up!_ " he cried dramatically. " _Step forward!_ " he declared, stepping a foot forward.

" _That's not how it-_ " Buneary cut herself off, giggling.

" _Dramatically shout move names!_ " he shouted, starting to laugh himself. " _Y-you see? It's like that, you're literally just shouting what you're doing!_ "

Buneary slowly rose, still giggling. " _Like a gust of wind_ _!_ " she yelled, unable to take herself seriously anymore. " _Extreme ninja finale punch!_ "

" _I-I have never in my life said anything like_ extreme ninja finale punch _,_ " Pikachu spluttered.

" _Hey, what was with that one thing you said?_ " Buneary managed to get out. " _Magnifique? I didn't know you were Kalosian!_ "

" _I'm not! That's a thing said all around the world!_ "

" _Having fun?_ "

Pikachu and Buneary both stopped, and looked up at the figure standing above them. There was an short pause that nobody dared break.

Pikachu broke the silence. " _Hi, Buizel._ "

" _How've you been?_ " Buneary tried awkwardly.

" _I've been,_ " Buizel said, and shrugged, before offering his paw for Pikachu to get up. Pikachu accepted it, but chose to ignore the raised eyebrow and amused smirk. He also chose to not turn around, knowing he'd find everyone's gazes if he did.

The two stood up, with Buneary pushing herself up by her ears, and turned to Buizel. " _Where've you been?_ " Buneary asked. " _We haven't seen you alllllll day! You missed Pikachu's awesome battle with Staraptor!_ "

Buizel shrugged again. " _Training, mostly with Chimchar. She's getting a lot better now, you know? She's starting to see she's in a Paul-free zone. I came to see you since, well... It's pretty hard to not notice what was going on._ "

" _Aww, that's nice,_ " Buneary said, focusing on the first part. " _I was hoping she'd get better soon. Mean trainers suck._ " She stomped her foot a few times, crossing her arms. " _They really do._ "

" _I'm glad as well,_ " Buizel said. " _It warms my cold, dead heart._ "

" _Yeah, yeah, we get it,_ " Pikachu said, letting out a long-suffering sigh while Buneary laughed. " _You're cool and edgy._ "

Buizel opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by an explosion in the distance. " _Wha-_ " He turned toward the sound, guard raised. " _That came from the main group..._ "

" _What was it?_ " Buneary asked, a little worried. " _That sounded like more than just training!_ "

Pikachu just sighed, and began counting down. " _Three, two, one._ "

On his cue, a very familiar trio of laughs rang out, and both Buneary and Buizel stiffened. " _Team Rocket!_ " they yelled.

" _Not sure why you're so surprised,"_ Pikachu told them honestly. " _I'd have figured you'd be used to it after, what, maybe a hundred times? Around that?_ "

Buneary and Buizel looked at each other, then back at Pikachu. " _That's a fair point,_ " the Water-type said, " _but it's still surprising._ "

" _Well,_ " Buneary said. She bounced to her feet, shifting her posture back and forth. " _Prepared for trouble? Let's go fight and save the day!_ "

" _Better make it double,_ " Pikachu chuckled. " _Attack them until they fly away!_ "

" _Ooh, nice one!_ " With that, the two Pokémon rushed off to fight Team Rocket.

" _Why do they always leave me behind…_ " Buizel muttered, before running off after them. " _Buizel, that's right…_ "

* * *

 **And there we go! That took** _ **far**_ **longer than I'm proud of. Hopefully I'll have the nerve to upload this and maybe keep it up…**

 **Well, looks like our heroes are away, so their Pokémon are here to fight off Team Rocket in their stead! It shouldn't be too much trouble, but I needed somewhere tense to end the chapter…**

 **Anyways, hope you enjoyed and, with luck, I'll see you fairly soon for another chapter! In the meantime, memes.**

* * *

Pikachu stood up and turned to her. " _Stand up!_ " he cried dramatically. " _For what is right!_ " he declared, stepping a foot forward.

" _Be brave-_ " Buneary cut herself off, giggling.

" _Get ready to fight!_ " he shouted, starting to laugh himself. " _Hold on, we're friends for life!_ "

Buneary slowly rose, still giggling. " _And if we come,_ " she yelled, unable to take herself seriously anymore. " _Together as one!_ "

" _Complete the quest_ we've begun _,_ " Pikachu spluttered.

" _We will win the battle_ _?_ " Buneary managed to get out. " _Galactic Battles_ _!_ "

" _POK_ _ÉMON_ _!_ "

" _Having fun?_ "

Pikachu and Buneary both stopped, and looked up at the figure standing above them. There was an short pause that nobody dared break.

Pikachu broke the silence. " _Hi, Buizel._ "

" _How've you been?_ " Buneary tried awkwardly.

" _You freaking dorks_ _,_ " Buizel said.


	2. Chapter 2

**No excuses for how late this is. I was lazy, I was unmotivated, I ran into a block. Take your pick, all of them fit. Anyway, it's here now, so enjoy.**

* * *

" _It's something I've always tried to remember, ever since my own father told it to me. You're not like any other Pokémon, just like how no other Pokémon is like you, or each other._ "

* * *

" _Hrrgggg… Hnnngggg!_ "

Pachirisu pushed against the bars as hard as she could, cheeks bulging out in exertion. Eventually she slid down, sighing. " _No use. They still don't make the gaps Pachi sized._ "

" _You gave it your best effort,_ " Piplup offered her from her left. " _Not even I could do better than that. Say what you will about them, but they sure know how to make metal cages._ " He tapped them a few times with his beak, nodding at the slight ringing sound it made. " _See? Not even Happiny can break them._ "

" _I'm better at lifting things,_ " Happiny admitted dejectedly. " _I can't get any good angels to help me_."

" _Angles._ "

" _Yeah, those._ "

Mamoswine shifted in his place, and the whole cage shifted with him. All the Pokémon yelled out in panic. " _Careful!_ " Ambipom told him. " _If you tip over, the whole cage is going down, and we could be seriously hurt!_ "

" _Sorry,_ " Mamoswine winced. " _It's not easy holding this much raw power within my soul, much less my entire body._ "

" _I understand,_ " Pachirisu assured him. " _It's just a far way to the ground for some of us, and if we land on a hard cage and then have the broken parts of a hard cage land on us, it won't be pretty."_

" _Again,_ " Piplup said, " _they make their cages well. Just falling off from up here probably won't even break it._ "

Meowth shook his head. "You're givin' us too much credit," he waved off. "We just buy da boxes from wherever we can get 'em. It's de mechs you oughta be impressed by. Like dis one." He pointed down at the Bastiodon-stylized robot they were all on, which was currently resting on its four legs.

" _But those break in, like, four attacks_ ," Pachirisu retorted. " _How are we supposed to be impressed by them?_ "

"Jimmy here makes 'em by hand," he answered, pointing at James nearby with his thumb. "He's a wiz with dis techno robot stuff."

"I'll take that as a compliment," James decided. "I'm rather proud of the paint job of this one, to be honest- seeing one in the last city really gave me the inspiration I needed. What are you talking about, anyway? It must be nice, speaking in both languages."

"Something about boxes," Jessie noted, not looking up from her magazine. "Boxes and machines. Maybe they were talking about the cage."

Piplup snapped his flipper to indicate Jessie was right, an action that nobody really paid any attention to despite its improbability.

"Why are we still here anyway?" Meowth asked, ignoring James's question. "We got de Poké's, an' dat's what we're here for, right?"

Jessie scoffed, putting her magazine away. "We're here for the _Pikachu_ , not all of them!" She gestured grandly to the giant metal cage attached on the Bastiodon bot's shield head. "The boss has no need for these! Or if he does, it's a very small amount of need! The twerp's Pikachu is why we're here. They're just fringe benefits."

"I'm not sure he's going to show up," James said sceptically.

"He always shows up, we have his friends in a cage! He always appears when we do that!"

" _It's true,_ " Grotle stated. " _He does tend to come through for us right when it matters most._ "

"Exactly!" James said, nodding at Grotle. "It's like he said, the twerps and Pikachu are probably out training by themselves right now, working on a surprise new strategy for their next gym!"

" _Do you have to put up with this all the time?_ " Grotle asked Wobbuffet.

" _Wobbuffet!_ "

" _Okay, just checking._ "

Jessie sighed, irritated. "Now you're making me worried," she grumbled. "Where _are_ the twerps anyway? They're usually here by now, wearing out our names."

"We should charge rent on our names," James suggested. "That way they'd have to pay us every time they say them."

"Except they'd be payin' us in special Pika-dollahs," Meowth added, "and once we get enough we can trade 'em in for a shiny new Pikachu!"

"It's perfect!" Jessie declared, flipping her hair. "A perfect plan they won't get past!"

"The twerps we'll have surpassed, and Pikachu will be ours at last!" James shouted, trying to flip his hair like Jessie did. It was a bit too short, and he gave up after a few attempts.

"And on top of dat, I'll finally be de Top Ca- MEOWCH!" Meowth yowled, having accidentally tweaked one of his whiskers while trying to flip the fur on top of his head.

Gliscor sighed. " _How did we get captured by these guys?_ " he asked plaintively.

"Ey!" Meowth called, though it still sounded like he was in pain. "We snuck up on youse fair and square!"

"Seriously, though," James said. "Where are they? I'm starting to wonder if we should just cut our losses and come back for Pikachu some other time…"

"That might be our only option," Jessie agreed. "Plus, we don't even have them all. That Buneary's not in there."

"Nor the Buizel."

"Or de Pikachu!"

"We already knew about the Pikachu, whiskers-for-brains!"

"Yikes, just pointin' it out… touchy subject or somethin'?"

" _Wobbuffet!_ "

"Ya know, I'm startin' to agree wid you, pal."

Piplup opened his beak to say something, but paused, listening closely. Meowth, Wobbuffet and all the other Pokémon did the same, before they all started staring in one direction, near a hill.

Jessie and James looked at each other blankly. "Why are they doing that?" Jessie asked James.

"I hear somethin," Meowth said slowly. "I tink de Pikachu's comin'! And he's got some other Pokés with him! No twerps, dough."

"We don't hear anything," James said in confusion.

"Well, dat's cause you're humans, and humans hearing really sucks," Meowth replied. All the Pokémon in the cage made varying sounds of agreement.

They all watched to the right of the bot, as the faint- but unmistakable- sound of Pikachu bounding grew louder and louder. They held their breath.

Then a Water Pulse came flying from the direction, which caught all of them off guard. It soared over the bot's head, detonating in the air and startling a few Starly out of a tree.

"Not really sure what you expected dat to do!" Meowth called out. "Unless you _wanted_ it to go over our heads!"

" _Thanks for telling me to aim lower!_ " Buizel's voice called, and another Water Pulse came from the same direction. This time, Wobbuffet jumped in front of it and took the attack himself, deflecting it to the side. A few seconds after, he jumped to the left to put himself between the bot and an Ice Beam.

"Alright," Meowth commented. "We saw de Buizel and de Buneary's attacks, now where's de Pikachu?"

" _Like a gust of wind!_ "

"Ah, dere's de Pikachu," Meowth answered.

Pikachu ran in, the white aura of Quick Attack trailing behind him, as he crashed himself into Wobbuffet with full force. Not able to switch to Counter in time, Wobbuffet got knocked backwards and hit the side of the giant metal Bastiodon.

Buneary quickly hopped up the hill and stood beside Pikachu, Buizel following her. " _Team Rocket!_ " Pikachu, Buneary and Buizel cried, almost in unison.

Jessie looked down at them, before turning to James. "Should we do it now?" she asked him.

"I don't think the twerps are going to show up at all," James decided. "We might as well, otherwise we won't get to."

"Alright," Meowth said. "Ready when you are."

The three took a deep breath, before laughing all together.

"Is that the sound of Pokémon chatter I hear?" Jessie recited.

"It's calling to me, loud and clear," James said, smirking.

" _Aaand here we go,_ " Buneary deadpanned. " _Time for the Team Rocket Show. Hey, why don't we just attack them while they're distracted here?_ "

" _Eh, it's kind of this unspoken agreement we have,_ " Pikachu answered, waving a paw vaguely. " _We don't attack them during their motto, they don't attack us during gym battles or league battles and stuff._ "

" _And you trust them?_ " Buizel asked.

" _I once had a gym battle_ against _them, back in Kanto,_ " Pikachu replied. " _We can trust them to not turn on us in major events, as long as we give them this simple pleasure. Besides, if I'm telling the truth, it's pretty fun to watch._ "

" _...Alright,_ " Buneary decided. " _I mean, it's not like we're going to be able to attack them in the motto anyway. Looks like they're finished._ "

" _Wobbuffet!_ "

" _Ta-dah-daaaaaaahh!_ "

" _Ooh!_ " Pachirisu called down. " _That was actually a pretty nice high note!_ "

Mime Jr. beamed at the praise.

" _Alright, Team Rocket,_ " Pikachu shouted. " _You've had your fun- now hand over our friends!_ "

"Sure, we'll be willing to do that," Jessie drawled. "If-"

" _Meowth, tell her if she says to let myself be captured, I'm Thunderbolting her._ "

Meowth told her.

"…I wasn't going to say it anyway," she sulked.

Buneary looked up at the machine, before squinting. " _This entire robot… It all conducts electricity._ "

" _Wait, really?_ " Pikachu asked, his cheeks sparking.

" _Yeah,_ " Buneary confirmed. " _It's all metal. Even the part they're sitting on, I think… Hard to tell with the paint, it looks just like a real Bastiodon._ "

James beamed at the praise.

Pikachu chuckled. " _Well, that makes things easier, I guess! Bolt of light and-_ "

"Hold it!" Meowth called, pointing. "Sure, dis ting conducts electricity like nobody's beeswax, but dat's on poipose! After all…" Meowth gave a grin, dark and predatory. "Ya don't wanna electrocute all your little friends in de cage, do ya?"

" _Wait, WHAT?_ " Piplup screeched. " _I didn't sign up for that! Let me out of here! Let me OUT!_ " The penguin hammed against the bars uselessly.

Pikachu cringed, his cheeks reabsorbing their electrical energy. " _I really can't do anything about that,_ " he admitted. " _I'm limited to Iron Tail and Quick Attack, and who knows how good_ those _will be against that…_ "

" _Hyah!_ " Buizel cried, firing another Water Pulse. Wobbuffet slid in the way of the attack-

" _I got it!_ " Mime Jr gestured, and the Water Pulse was dispelled into droplets with a carefully controlled Confusion.

Wobbuffet gave Mime Jr. a slightly insulted look, and Mime Jr. shrugged in a not-really-apologetic way.

Ignoring both of them, Buneary fired an Ice Beam at the machine. It hit the side, creating a cloud of white smoke that cleared to reveal absolutely no damage.

"Nya hahahahaha!" Meowth laughed, crossing his arms. "You see now? Dis machine is unbreakable! We've taken dis machine's one weakness and turned it against yours! Nyahaha!"

"… _I'm confused,_ " Buneary admitted. " _What's our one weakness again?_ "

"Your compassion for your friends," Meowth elaborated, patting the cage beside him. "You can only beat us by zappin' us, and if you zap us you zap 'em. So our weakness is electricity, an' yours is you can't use your electricity without hurting your friends."

" _I thought it was obvious,_ " Piplup stated. " _I suppose it must be an intellectuals-only joke._ "

" _Hmm…_ " Buneary hummed, pausing for a moment and putting her paw to her chin. " _How do we go about this…_ "

"Looks like we've got you," Jessie taunted. "Right-where-we-want-you!"

"Now are you willing to accept that surrender offer?" James said smoothly. "If you want to see all your friends again, it might just be the only option…"

Pikachu glared at him, then at Jessie, then at the cage. His cheeks sparked dangerously… before falling silent.

" _If I come with you,_ " he said quietly, " _you_ will _let them go, right?_ "

"Of course!" Meowth replied. He extended a claw and drew it over his heart. "I swear on de grave of my momma."

" _You never knew your mother,_ " Pikachu growled.

Meowth sighed. "I musta used dat one before," he muttered, before lowering his claw and turning back to Pikachu. "It's still your only option, ya know. Unless you _want_ to say goodbye to all your Poképals…"

" _Don't do it!_ " Chimchar yelled. " _You're more important than us, you're what they're after!_ "

Pikachu was silent for a long while. He glanced at the cage, then at Team Rocket. Then at Buneary, and back to the cage.

"He's gonna do it," Jessie whispered delightedly. "He's totally gonna do it!"

James puffed his chest our proudly. "It was the paint job," he declared. "He must've been intimidated by the amazing paint job."

"Or my stupendous plan," Meowth countered. "You need a plan, Meowth's your mon!"

"I'm fairly certain that's not how it goes," Jessie muttered, watching him from the corner of her eye.

" _Wobbuffet!_ "

The trio went awkwardly silent for a few seconds, before looking down at Pikachu. "Hey," Meowth called. "We're waiting for an answer here. Come on, we can't make jokes forever."

Pikachu looked back at Team Rocket for a few seconds, and then turned to Buneary. " _I don't think I can do any more,_ " he told her quietly. " _If I wait any longer, they'll realize I'm stalling for time. You got a plan yet?_ "

" _I think so_." Buneary nodded, before looking at the mecha nervously. " _I really don't know if it'll work though…_ "

Buizel shrugged. " _Whatever it is, it's worth a shot. Unless it could go horribly wrong._ "

" _It involves Pikachu potentially shocking all our friends._ "

" _That, uh,_ " Pikachu began. " _That definitely falls into the 'could go horribly wrong' category._ "

" _There's just one thing I need to check_." Buneary turned back to the Bastiodon bot. " _Is it_ all _conductive? Like, if it's shocked, we know it'll electrocute the cage, but will it also electrocute Team Rocket?_ "

" _Doubtful,_ " Buizel scoffed. " _Do you really trust them to keep their word?_ "

Pikachu looked back at the robot. At Jessie, James and Meowth watching them, some more patiently than others. At all of his friends in the cage atop the robot's head.

" _Honestly?_ " Pikachu said. " _Yeah. James likes a fair fight. Jessie and Meowth, not so much, but James is the one that actually made the robot._ "

Buneary smiled. " _I think it'll work then,_ " she decided.

"Uh oh…" Meowth turned to his partners anxiously. "I'm worried, you guys. You see dat smile? She only smiles like dat when she's got a plan…"

"Oh, don't worry about it," Jessie dismissed. "What could she possibly do to stop us? We've got them pinned against a wall!"

"Yeah, but de cornered rat often bites de cat…"

Buneary turned to the robot. She took a deep breath, raised her arms and paws to her mouth… and _shouted._

" _EVERYBODY HUG THE MAMOSWINE!_ "

" _Wha- YES!_ " Mamoswine cried, realizing what she was getting at. " _Hug me, my brothers and sisters! Let me be your shield!_ "

"Aw, no! No no no no- don't hug de Mamoswine!" Meowth cried, trying to reach into the cage. "You stop dat! Stay away from de Mamoswine, ya hear me?!"

Buizel turned to look at Buneary. " _Ground type?_ " he asked.

" _Ground type,_ " she answered, a fair amount of smugness on her face. " _I just wanted to make sure it would actually hit those three anyway._ " They turned to watch the cage, and all the voices coming from it.

" _Alright, I'm on top of the Mamoswine's head. That counts, right?_ "

" _Hey Croagunk, you wanna hug Mamoswine? It'll probably make it hurt less._ "

" _Gliscor, if I may be so bold as to ask, why are you hugging our fine groundbound friend? You possess the same natural immunities that he does!_ "

" _Well, yeah, but if I don't then I'll be the only one not hugging him and then I'll feel awkward…_ "

" _Seriously, Croagunk, are you coming or not?_ "

"Get away from da Mamoswine! Shoo, shoo! Aw, I knew dis was too good ta be true…"

" _And now it's got Meowth feeling all blue,_ " Pikachu finished. " _Hey, Buneary._ "

" _Hmm?_ " Buneary turned to look at Pikachu.

" _Nice plan._ " He flashed her a quick grin. " _Don't know how I would've gotten out of this one, to be honest._ "

" _Eh, heh heh…_ " Buneary let out a nervous giggle, caught off-guard by his sudden praise. " _You know, I couldn't just do nothing, so… It really wasn't much…_ "

Pikachu's smile grew softer. " _It was to me._ "

Buneary gave a smile of her own, matching his. " _Well… You're welcome, I guess._ " She looked back at him, doing her best not to blush.

The mood was abruptly shattered by Buizel's annoyed groan. " _Seriously, you two?_ " He put a hand on each of their shoulders. " _A: this is neither the time nor the place. And B: either kiss, or don't. Stop hanging out in this gray area you're always hanging out in._ "

" _You know what, Buizel?_ " Pikachu asked, stepping back and not losing his smile. " _I'm in too good a mood for your teasing to get to me. She just saved me, I'm allowed to be happy._ "

Buizel looked at him for a moment, noticing how he had seemingly snapped out of it. Then he turned to look at Buneary, whose face seemed to be doing its best impression of a Fire-type. Not that it was easy to tell, with how she was hiding it. _At least I got one of them_ , he thought with a mental chuckle.

" _Hey, Pikachu!_ " Mamoswine called down. " _Every friend is in hug position! You're free to fire whenever you're ready!_ "

" _Alright!_ " Pikachu replied, getting into position. His cheeks flashed once, twice, then started to crackle.

James gulped. "I think this is the end of this run…" he muttered.

"We had a good chance," Jessie sighed. "Maybe next time, keep that pig in a different cage."

"Guys," Meowth said. "Whatever happens here, just know that I love ya."

Pikachu smirked. This was always his favorite part.

" _Bolt of light and break of sky!_ "

The lightning arced towards the robot, eventually reaching it and lighting it up brighter than the sun. For Mamoswine and all his friends hugging him, all they felt was a slight tingle, like a feather brushing against them, before the charge reached Mamoswine and dissipated.

For Team Rocket, it was… worse. There was an explosion, and they went sailing off.

"My paint job," James whined, tears flowing from his face. "I spent hours on that, and now it's all char and rust…"

"It was such a good plan, too," Jessie lamented. "But they left us in the dust."

"What a bust," Meowth shrugged. "Ah well, next time we go for Pika Dollahs."

"I didn't even get to do any ramming in it…" James sniffed.

"TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAAAIIIiiiiiinnnn!" There was a twinkle in the sky, and then they were gone.

* * *

 **Ah, Team Rocket. Some of the most entertaining characters to write. I'll be honest, it was mostly them that made me get up and do this.**

 **Anyway, you can hopefully expect the next part sooner than this. See ya! …Oh, and here's your obligatory spicy meme.**

* * *

Pikachu smirked. This was always his favorite part.

" _Bolt of light and break of sky!_ "

The lightning arced towards the robot, eventually reaching it and lighting it up brighter than the sun. For Mamoswine and all his friends hugging him, all they felt was an intense burning sensation as the electricity coursed through their bodies. Everyone let out simultaneous screams of agony as the pain stabbed them from all directions. Piplup, being especially weak to this, was the first to fall as his heart stopped beating. One after another, the others followed him as they passed into another life. Though he took no physical pain, Mamoswine too fell, his soul having shattered from the knowledge that he failed to protect his friends.

" _Huh,_ " Buneary said. " _I thought that'd work._ "

" _Buneary,_ " Pikachu said seriously. " _You're dead to me._ "

" _No u,_ " Buneary replied eloquently. Pikachu had a heart attack and died and went straight to heck.


End file.
